Newtown High School’s girls’ soccer team continued its unbeaten campaign with an 8-1 victory at Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport on October 6.

Riley Powers and Sydney Oltran both scored twice, and Maddie Griffin, Kyla Kopp, Brooke Jackson, and Jamie Humphries all hit the back of the net.

The Nighthawks hosted Stratford on October 11 and won 7-2 to improve to 8-0-3 overall. Oltran, Ella Morits, and Powers all scored twice, and Mackenzie Del Pozo added a goal. Oltran notched three assists, and Skyler Howard, Jackson, and Teagan Waaler also had assists.

Newtown’s contest with Stratford marked the program’s March of Dimes fundraiser game. The team members wore special uniforms with purple lettering and numbers, and the Nighthawks raised about $350 for March of Dimes through raffle tickets and a bake sale.

March of Dimes is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the health of mothers and babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Each year in the United States, 380,000 babies are born prematurely, and Newtown Head Coach Marc Kenney and his wife Kateri have two children who were born prematurely.

Jordan Kenney was born at 32 weeks in Waterbury Hospital on April 23, 2011, and spent three and a half weeks there. He weighed four pounds at birth. His brother, Ryan, was born on December 8, 2011 at only 25 weeks. Immediately upon his birth, Ryan was transferred by ambulance to the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington. He weighed only two pounds and had a host of other medical problems including a bronchopulmonary dysplasia and an intraventricular hemorrhage — grade 4 as a result. Ryan spent close to five months in the NICU.

Kenney said his family is indebted to March of Dimes for their support during some very challenging times. March of Dimes provided the Kenneys with the resources they needed to ensure the health of their sons, who, today, are healthy. They are also grateful for the community’s support for March of Dimes.

“This is a charity that is near and dear to my heart,” said Kenney, adding that the fundraiser had not been held the last couple of years but was brought back into play by parents of the team captains.

The Nighthawks finish off the regular season with a tough slate of games. After visiting Bethel on Thursday and falling 3-2, the Hawks visit nonconference foe Suffield (which has just one loss) on Saturday, October 15, at noon. The Hawks visit South-West Conference rival Masuk of Monroe on Tuesday, October 18 at 6 pm. The Hawks visit Notre Dame-Fairfield on Friday, October 21 and travel to Pomperaug of Southbury on Monday, October 24 — both at 7 pm. Bethel and Notre Dame are competing for the SWC’s Patriot Division title, along with a Brookfield team the Nighthawks played to a scoreless tie; Newtown, Masuk, and Pomperaug are all jockeying for the top spot in the Colonial Division.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.